Empyrealism
Empyrealism is a Chaotic religion created by the Dark Apostle known as Azunar the Truthbringer. A branch of the Word of Lorgar, it stresses the idea of the supremacy of the Warp over existence, and poses as it's end goal Apotheosis: reunion with some intangile Godhead. Empyrealists are entirely convinced in the righteousness of Chaos and the Warp, and are entirely dedicated to the supremacy of Chaos over all things. Unlike most Chaotics, Empyrealists have absolutely no fear of death, knowing that death is but another step on the path of Truth. To them, the Materium is but a shadow, a insubstantial falsehood and living enemy, hiding the Truths of the Warp behind it's veil. Tenets and Beliefs The ideas and teachings of Empyrealism center around the creation of the Material and Immaterial universes, the meaning of mortal life, and the true nature of the Warp. The Creation According to the Ruinous Testament, before the Materium existed, the Warp had always been there. Nothing existed but Chaos, not the four powers but rather the formless, primordial and unknowable Abyss of infinite insanity, that the Testament describes as the Godhead - named Ruin. All of existence - and according to the more esoteric passages, nonexistence - was composed of Ruin itself, and this raw, absolute form of Chaos is revered as the primal substratum for all things. Life existed at this time, but due to the complete lack of all physics and matter, such lifeforms were purely immaterial, souls without bodies, interconnected with every other presence and with the Godhead itself. Before all time and space, all things were Unshaped. As new patterns and creations were emanated further from the Godhead, the Material universe was born, described as a torturous place of suffering and deprivation. In place of the infinite possibilities of unbound imagination, was a realm of definite borders, and thus of isolation. This realm, this prison, is seen by Empyrealists as the ultimate enemy of all souls, human or otherwise, and the end goal of ones' life is escape, to enjoy the infinite, esoteric multiverse beyond. The Role of Mortals Empyrealism preaches that each Mortal is a shard of Ruin made manifest: From the Warp are souls born, and to the Warp do souls return, and thus each soul is a shard of the Godhead, a gradient of Ruin, and a seed for a Unshaped entity, imprisoned in Falsespace and yearning to return to the light of Chaos Absolute. In the celestial hierarchy, materials are placed at the very bottom, with lesser daemons just above, Greater Daemons and Daemon Princes on the third tier, followed by Chaos Gods and the Unshaped, and finally the Primordial Creator itself. The goal of Empyrealists is to awaken the gradient of Ruin - the 'true self' - within all beings to the reality of their existence, so that they may return to the Empyrean and abandon the falsehood of reality. Only direct contact with the divine - mutation, blessings of the Warp, meditation - can help redeem ones Soul and free it from the trappings of the Materium. One way The Dark Priesthood exposes human minds to the Truth is through the Rite of the Truthbringer, a ritual designed by Azunar to expose the Soul directly to Ruin's influence. It is believed the very sight of Ruin - the merest glimpse of the Primordial Truth in total - would make anyone a True Believer. The Nature of the Warp Empyrealists argue that Chaos is the ultimate reality, that everything in existence is derived from Chaos and that Order is merely a lower order of it. The ultimate nature of Chaos is the Godhead, Chaos Absolute, the Primordial Creator. However, Chaos in this context is not the Warp as we understand it: the Warp we interact with is but the seething ocean between Reality and Ruin. The Primordial Creator awaits on the far side, calling to those who can hear. The Dark Gods The Chaos Gods are aspects of the Godhead. All the Warp is Ruin, and Ruin is all of the Warp. The Dark Gods are weakened aspects of Ruin, their true nature masked by our diseased desire to make sense of them, our Material perceptions twisting what they are into clear cut, emotion-based constants. The more the Warp seeps into reality, the more the previous classifications of Warp entity break down as the true nature of things is revealed, all culminating in Apotheosis. Quotes About Trivia * Empyrealism is inspired by Gnosticism in some elements, and by the Nex from LordLucan's work. Category:Chaos Category:Religions and Beliefs